How To Become A Clinical Supervisor: What It Is and Career Path

What is a clinical supervisor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

5 min read

A clinical supervisor provides guidance, support, and feedback to healthcare professionals, such as therapists, counselors, or psychologists. They monitor clinical work to ensure adherence with ethical and legal standards. Clinical supervisors also assist supervisees in developing and refining their clinical skills and identify areas for professional growth and development. Additionally, they provide support during challenging cases and review treatment plans. Clinical supervisors promote quality care and ensure healthcare professionals provide effective and ethical treatments.

ScoreClinical SupervisorUS Average

Salary

4.8

Avg. Salary $61,615

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.3

Growth rate 9%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.62%

Asian 3.12%

Black or African American 7.90%

Hispanic or Latino 7.90%

Unknown 6.24%

White 74.22%

Gender

female 75.76%

male 24.24%

Age - 42

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42

Stress level

9.3

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.5

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a clinical supervisor?

Pros

Ability to shape the direction of therapy and treatment at a clinic or organization
Opportunity to learn from the perspectives and experiences of other clinicians
Opportunity for personal and professional growth
Ability to develop leadership skills
Ability to positively impact the field of mental health

Cons

High levels of stress and pressure due to the responsibility of ensuring quality care for clients
Potential for burnout due to the demands of the job
Need to balance administrative duties with patient care responsibilities
Limited opportunities for direct patient care due to supervisory responsibilities
Need to maintain a high level of professionalism at all times, even in difficult situations

Key steps to become a clinical supervisor

Explore clinical supervisor education requirements

Most common clinical supervisor degrees

Bachelor's

43.4 %

Master's

31.6 %

Associate

15.7 %

Start to develop specific clinical supervisor skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	16.84%
Social Work	8.28%
Autism	7.33%
Applied Behavior Analysis	5.66%
ABA	5.29%

Complete relevant clinical supervisor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New clinical supervisors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a clinical supervisor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real clinical supervisor resumes.

Research clinical supervisor duties and responsibilities

Manage the clinical reimbursement coordinators traveling schedule to ensure that facilities have adequate MDS coverage.
Record patients' medical history, vital statistics, or information such as test results in EMR system.
Assist with implementation of OSHA, emergency preparedness, infection control and regulatory compliance for the medical clinic.
Participate in training on various topics such as HIPAA compliance, treatment planning, co-occurring disorders and crisis management.

Prepare your clinical supervisor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your clinical supervisor resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a clinical supervisor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable clinical supervisor resume templates

Build a professional clinical supervisor resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your clinical supervisor resume.